Last



Aug. 19

S. E. BOYNTON LAST Filed June 25 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

nmTan STATES meant PATENT OFFICE,

STANLEY E. BOYNTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEVJ YORK. ASSIGNQR TO FITZ EMPIRE DOUBLE PIVOT LAST COJMIZPANY, F AUBURN, NIAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

LAST.

Application filed June 25, 1921..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, STANLEY E. BoYN'roN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State out New York, have invented certain. Improvements in Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the ac companying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to collapsible lasts and is herein shown and described in corn nection with certain preferred forms of hinge last. Hinge lasts have come to be. regarded as desirable in many types of shoe making because of their rapid and positive shortening effect which permits easy removal of the last from the shoe or insertion there-- in. Collapsible lasts are generally held in operative lengthened position by so-called locking mechanisms of the positive or i1npositive types. The former, which does not collapse under pressure, is regarded as the better for many kinds of work, and it is with it that the present invention has to deal. Di'liiculty has been experienced with the positive loch inthat when disengaged to permit the collapse of the last, it was necessary to hold the locking member out oi in operative position until a portion at least of the collapsing movement had been effected, a condition which militated against convenience in operation as some special tool was necessary to hold the looking member out of operative position while the collapse was begun, or else the operators fingers were liable to be injured by being squeezed be tween the last parts while holding the locking member out of operative position. A. second objection to the use of such locking members has been that when the last is extended again after collapse, some special manipulation was necessary in order to restore the member to operative position.

Accordingly it has come to be regarded as desirable that the locking member should be automatically held out of operative position when so placed and automatically restored to operative condition by the collapsing or extending of the last, so that the op erator has only to move it to inoperative position, no other manipulation by him being necessary.

A number of successful solutions of this problem have been suggested, and it is a prin- Serial No. 480,472.

cipal object oi the present invention still further to improve the action of this type oif locking member, and to secure certain added economies in mechanical construction. To this end an important feature of the invention consists in a locking member which is mounted in one last part and is engaged by theother last part to hold it in inoperative position preparatory to collapse, the parts being arranged so that disengagement is caused by the relative movement of the forepart and heel part incidental to the collapse and. re-extension of the last. In the last illustrated the other last part acts as its own disengaging means when in relative movement, thus avoiding the necessity of any extra parts to effect the disengagement de sired while in collapsed condition.

These and other features of the invention, comprising certain combinations and arrangements of parts, will be understood from the following description of two preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 shows the last in extended position.

Fig. 2 shows the last after the moving of the locking member to inoperative position.

Fig. 3 shows the last in collapsed position.-

Figs. 4, o and 6 show another form in corresponding positions.

The last illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 has a heel part 10 and a forepart 12, the heel part being provided with a thimble hole 14-. The last parts may be divided by many line of out which permits the proper collapsing movement characteristic of the bonding mechanism used, herein shown as a simple hinge. The cut shown is characterized by a V-shaped opening 16 at the top to permit the heel part to swing up about the hinge pivot, and a short ledge at 18 in each last part near the hinge pivot co-operating to brace the last against twisting stresses, and a short nearly vertical line 20 running from the ledge to the bottom of the last.

The bonding and hinge mechanism is mounted in narrow slots in the last parts as is well known. One of the last parts, herein shown as the heel part, is provided with two plates 22, anchored by pins 24, 26 and separated by the l cking member 28, pivotedon the pin 24, and the forepart bonding member 30 which is anchored by the pins 82, 34;, and is pivoted to the plates by the pintle 36. The pintle may be upset on its ends next to the plates and the last will then not have to be bored for it. The locking member includes a resilient springportion 38 having an angle 40, and

has a wedging surface l2 co-operating with a similar surface 44. The surface L2 lacks a little of perpendicularity to the line running from it to the pin 24; to insure the wedging action mentioned.

The lower end of the member supports the angle 40, enabling the spring to force the locking member up into operative position. It is provided with a notch 46, into which the angle falls when the locking member is depressed as shown in Fig. 2. This holds the locking member in inoperative position, and permits the collapse of the last without necessitating the use of special tools or endangering the fingers of the operator as is done in such lasts as require the operator to hold the locking member out of operative position while the collapse is begun. 7

As the last iscollapsed, the locking member moves forward toward the forepart, and the angle 40 is carried forward and cramped out of the notch 46, which is immovable in the forepart. This restores the locking member to operativeness and it will seat automatically as soon as the last has been extended again sufficient to permit the surface 42 to clear the end of the member 30.

. mg machine.

The locking member is thus automatically held in inoperative position after once being placed there, and the hold is automatically released by the collapsing movement of the last. The holding engagement is between the locking member and a portion of the last part in which it is not mount ed and with respect to which, therefore, it must move during the collapse. This secures a certain economy in construction, since it. is thus unnecessary to provide a special element in the said last part to break the hold; or in other words, the holding element acts as its own disengaging means.

The plates 22 are preferably provided at their free ends with hook-shaped abutments 48, engaging under the pin 32 when the last is extended and thus bracing it rigidly against destruction by a reverse collapse or excessive movement of extension. such as might be induced, for example, in the level- The hook shape need not be pronounced. It is only necessary that the abutment extend well past the line joining the pin 32 and the pintle 36.

The last shown in Figs. l, 5 and 6 is equipped with a somewhat dilferent bonding mechanism, but the locking action is similar to thatof the last just described. The two last parts are equipped with four bonding or anchor pins 50, 52, 54, 56. Two plates 58 are mounted in the slots 60 in the last parts, having between them the locking member 62, mounted pivotal] on the pin 54, and the distance plate (34 through which the pin 52 passes. A rivet (36 passes through the three plates. The plates 58 are equipped with four slots (38, 70, 72, 74, in which the pins 50, 52, 56, 54 are respectively placed. These slots are formed as circular arcs about the rivet 66 as center, so that both last parts can swing toward each other and relatively to the plates about this center, as shown in Fig. 3. The distance plate ca swings with the forepart, and has a notch 76 in which the spring 78, which is a part of the lockin member, engages when the latter is moved from operative position by pressing on its handle 81 as shown in Fig. 5. The operative shoulder 80 of the locking member eooperates with the pin 50 and is arranged to wedge against it to take up wear, as already explained in reference to the first last described.

The movement of collapse disengages the spring 78 and notch 76 as shown in Fig. 6, the action of the locking member being similar to that above described.

The rivet 82 may be added to hold the bonding plates and lock together as a unitary device. It also can be used as a positive stop for the locking member as shown in Fig. 5.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A last comprising a forepart and a heel part arranged for relative collapsing movement, and a locking member positively holding the parts against such movement and mounted in one of the said last arts, the other last part being constructed and arranged to engage the locking member when it is moved from operative position to hold it in inoperative position, and to free it again by virtue of the relative movement between the locking member and the said other last part consequent on the col lapse of the last.

2. A last comprising a forepart and a heel part bonded together for relative col lapsing movement, a locking member mounted in one last part, and a bonding member mounted in the other last part arranged to co-operate with the locking member to hold it in inoperative position when moved out of operative position, said bonding and locking members being constructed and arranged to become disengaged by their relative movement in collapse.

3. A last comprising a folepart and a heel part bonded together for collapsing movement, and a locking member in one last part and having a portion engaging the other last part to prevent collapse, and having also a projection, the other last part having a notch arranged to catch said prol ltl je'ction when the locking member is displaced from operative position to hold it in inoperative position.

4. A last according to claim 3 characterized further by a formation of the notch and projection which lifts the projection out of the notch as the said parts move relatively while not in extended position.

5. A last according to claim 3 characterized by a resiliency of the said projection and a relative formation of notch and projection which causes the projection to ride out of the notch as the parts move relatively.

6. A last having a forepart and a heel part, a bonding member in one last part uniting it to the other and arranged to permit collapsing movement of the last parts, and a locking member mounted in the other last part and comprising a spring arranged to contact with the bonding member to hold the locking member in operative position, the bonding member being arranged to catch the spring when the locking member is in inoperative position to hold it in such position, and to release it by means of the relative movement consequent on the collapse, whereby the spring will automatically replace the locking member in operative position.

7. A last having a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, and a locking member mounted in one last part and engaging the other last part to prevent collapse, one of the said locking member and the said other last part having a spring contacting with the other to hold the locking member in operative position, and the other having a'portion constructed and arranged to engage the spring when the locking member is withdrawn from operative position to hold it in inoperative position and to release it again upon relative movement between the two taking place between the initial collapse and the final reextension.

8. A last comprising two last parts, a bonding member pivotally connecting said last parts together, an abutment on one of the said last parts, a detent mounted on the other of said last parts, and cooperating portions on the detent and integral with the bonding member respectively for holding the detent out of locking relation with the abutment while the last is in an expanded condition.

9. A last comprising two last parts, a bonding plate pivotally connecting said last parts, a detent movably mounted in the plane of said bonding plate, an abutment with which said detent cooperates to lock the last in an expanded position, and cooperative portions integral with the bonding plate and on the detent respectively for holding the detent out of locking relation with the abutment.

10. A last comprising two pivotally connected last parts, a detent mounted on one of said last parts, a spring for moving said detent to locking position, a locking surface on the other last part for cooperating with the spring to hold the detent in unlocking position, and a pressure surface on the last mentioned last part for cooperating with the spring to cause the latter to move the detent toward locking position, the spring being shifted automatically from the locking surface to the pressure surface when the last part carrying said surfaces is shifted relatively to the last part carrying the detent.

11. A last comprising two last parts, a bonding member rigidly secured to one of said last parts and pivotally connected to the other of said last parts, a detent pivotally connected to the last part to which the bonding member is pivotally connected, lying in the plane of said bonding member and cooperating with the bonding member to hold the last in an expanded position, a spring for moving the detent to locking po sition, and two surfaces on the bonding member one of which is engaged by the spring when the detaining member is shifted out of locking position and holds the detent in such unlocking position, and the other of which is engaged by the spring when the last is collapsed to move the detent toward locking position.

12. A last comprising two last parts, a bonding member rigidly secured to one of said last parts and pivotally connected to the other of said last parts, said bonding member having a recess, an abutment on one side of the recess and a projection having two faces, a detent pivotally connected to the last part to which the bonding member is connected, said detent lying in the plane of the bonding member and being adapted to cooperate with the abutment on one side of the recess to lock the last in an expanded condition, the recess being adapted to receive a portion of the detent when the last is collapsed, and a spring secured to said detent, and adapted to be shifted by the detent into cooperation with one face of the projection to lock the detent out of locking position and to be shifted by the bonding member into engagement with the other face of the projection when the part carrying the bonding member is shifted relatively to the part carrying the detent.

13. A last comprising two last parts movable relatively to each other, a detent for holding said last in expanded condition, and a spring for said detent having a locking position and a pressure position and being shifted to pressure position when the last is collapsed.

14. A last comprising two last parts, a bonding means pivotally connecting said last parts, a detent for locking the last in an expanded condition, and means on the bonding means for holding the detent in unlocking position when the detent is moved to unlocking position, and for releasing said detent when the last is collapsed.

15. A last comprising two last parts, an abutment on one of the last parts, a detent mounted on the other of the last parts, a spring for said detent having a locking position and a pressure position, and shifted by the detent to'locking' position when the detent is moved to unlocking position, and means secured to the last part on which the abutment is mounted, to shift the spring to pressure lapsed.

16. A collapsible last comprising two last parts, a bonding mechanism connecting said last parts, a detent for locking the last in an expanded condition, a portion of the bonding mechanism being arranged to hold the detent in unlocking position when the detent is moved to unlocking position, and to release said detent when the last is co]- lapsed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

STANLEY E. BOYNTON.

position when the last is col 

